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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/25713094">Lost Causes</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/headlessnicks/pseuds/headlessnicks'>headlessnicks</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Canon Compliant, F/M, Severus Snape redemption arc</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-08-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-08-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-05 10:00:33</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>5</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>13,075</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/25713094</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/headlessnicks/pseuds/headlessnicks</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>As Hogwarts announces its involvement in the Triwizard Tournament with two other wizarding schools in Europe, Severus Snape braces himself for what will come to be the most difficult years of his life. With danger lurking around every corner and doing his best to keep Harry Potter safe, Professor Snape starts to realize that perhaps there is more to life than what he has thought it to be. A retelling of Harry Potter in Snape's perspective from GoF onwards.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Draco Malfoy &amp; Severus Snape, Harry Potter &amp; Severus Snape, Severus Snape/Original Female Character(s), Sirius Black/Remus Lupin</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>9</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This story will follow roughly the same plot as GoF except of course with the addition of an original character. Most chapters will be in Snape’s POV but may switch to other characters as well from time to time. Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoy!</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The Triwizard Tournament was to be held in Hogwarts again, after centuries of being out of practice. It had been discontinued and for very good reason; the last time the game commenced one of the champions had been killed in a tragic accident during one of the challenges. Severus had been against the very idea of re-initiating a game as dangerous as the Triwizard Tournament, and had every intention of letting Dumbledore know once term resumed. Personally, the game held no interest for him but his main concern were for the students of Hogwarts. They were-quite frankly and worryingly-irresponsible and immature. Severus felt like he already lost enough of his lifespan running after these children trying to keep them safe, he feared it would only become worse if the school decided to hold a Tournament whose very aim was to place its contestants in mortal danger. The students would of course jump at the first opportunity to join, if not for the thrill of possibly dying in one of the challenges then perhaps for the glory and fame that came with the title of champion. Severus wondered momentarily if achieving short-lived fame could ever be worth the risk of losing someone's life over and decided that no, it wasn't.</p><p>Of course, had the game been held back in Severus' own schooldays, he had an inkling of how it would unfold. Potter would've tried to join, and perhaps Black too. He could picture them in his head, strutting around the castle with their engorged egoistic heads and boasting about how one of them would bring Hogwarts the Triwizard Cup. He snorted loudly, his mouth curling downwards as the memory of Potter and Black brought a bitter taste in his mouth. <em>'You think you're better than them but you would've tried to join too</em>' a snide voice echoed in his head and Severus entertained the idea. Potter would have lost his head if Severus competed for the cup too, and of course becoming a Hogwarts champion would've certainly gotten the attention of one red-headed girl. As much as he would deny it now, Severus concluded that he definitely would have tried to compete in the tournament if it would've given him a chance to win Lily Evans' heart.</p><p>At the thought of her name, Severus felt his heart tighten and sighed deeply. He was doing it again, he thought. In fact, it was all he seemed to do these days since Severus had returned to Spinner's End for the summer. He would be reading a book or researching on a potion and then he would start dwelling on past memories-memories of Lily and him by the old playground, or by the lake at Hogwarts. They would just be lying on the grass and talking. They spoke about nothing in particular but simply little things that were of no great importance; whether Severus had finished his Charms homework, or how Ancient Runes was fascinating, and sometimes they'd even talk about what they would do once they left Hogwarts. And then those memories will only deteriorate further, and they'd become scenarios of how his life would've played out if he'd still been friends with her. Severus would imagine a life where Lily and he were best friends, and the goodness in her had passed on to him and he never strayed from the right path-never chose to be a Death Eater. Eventually, the thoughts would come crashing down and when he woke from these delusional thoughts, he'd see that it was already dark and he'd spent most of his days stuck in his own mind.</p><p>His <em>condition</em>, as Severus liked to call it, had only worsened when the Potter boy had come to Hogwarts. He reasoned that it was perhaps because the boy resembled his father so that Severus' own awful memories with James Potter was dredged up. He would be overcome with multitude of feelings; hatred, loathing, guilt all mixed up into one and all those feelings had nowhere else to go but out so that was where they went. Severus poured every single one of his ugly emotions towards the clone of James Potter,  who was still alive to receive it. And then he'd look at the boy and see <em>her</em> eyes staring back at him, and this was a blow he didn't think he could ever recover from no matter how many times he tried. The boy hated him, and Severus couldn't blame him even a bit-not after the way he had treated the child the past three years. But to look at the boy and see Lily Evans' eyes staring back in equal loathing and mistrust and hate was too much to bear. Even for someone like him. Severus realized that this was his punishment on earth, to look at the boy with James Potter's face and Lily Evans' eyes everyday for the next seven years of his life and be reminded of the crime he had committed against them. There were days when the guilt was too much and Severus considered throwing himself off the Astronomy tower just so he could stop <em>feeling</em>. </p><p>Dumbledore had told him once that it was remorse he was feeling, that all the raw guilt and grief he'd kept brewing inside of him all these years had manifested inside of him. <em>'Free yourself, Severus,'</em> Dumbledore's voice echoed in his mind, <em>'free yourself before your emotions swallow you up and it becomes too late.'</em></p><p>He had scoffed at the idea then. Why would he want to free himself from his guilt? It always gave him a cruel sense of pleasure to purposely hurt over her. And he death. Sometimes he wondered if he should've been imprisoned for everything he had done before the Dark Lord's defeat. Maybe if he'd served his time in Azkaban, he wouldn't have to deal with all these <em>emotions</em> and <em>remorse</em> or whatever it was called. Certainly he'd have lost his sanity residing in Azkaban but that didn't sound so bad, after all losing one's mind seemed to be a better option than living with the dark thoughts that plagued his mind constantly. He had thought, all those years ago, that serving his sentence by helping Dumbledore would have been enough to save his old, bitter soul but he didn't feel any changed from the the man he was from back then. Was giving Dumbledore a lifetime of his loyalty and servitude not enough to redeem himself? What then would be enough, what else would he have to give before he could close his eyes and for once not see the ghosts of Lily and James Potter haunting him? </p><p>Severus had been brooding so deeply and quietly that he hadn’t realized that an eagle-owl had been waiting by the open window for him. As minutes ticked by and he still hadn't noticed it, the bird grew impatient and flew in to rest on the arm of the chair he was occupied in.</p><p>“Ouch!” Severus gave a sharp yelp and pulled his finger away from the beak of the big, brown owl. The owl hooted once, satisfied at finally having his attention. Cursing the owl under his breath, he made to remove the letter tied to its leg. He looked around to see if there was anything edible lying around the house for the owl. There was an old tin of crackers, he wasn’t sure if it was stale but he took one out anyway and offered it to the bird. The owl took one sniff of the biscuit, decided that it <em>was</em> stale and flew out without another sound.</p><p>“Ungrateful bird,” he called after it, popping the cracker into his mouth. At the unpleasant taste, he scowled and turned his attention to the letter. The sender had written his name with expensive ink and the parchment itself looked thick and fancy. He had received it often enough to know that it had come from none other than Lucius Malfoy. Opening it, he began to read:</p><p>
  <em>Dear Severus,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>My apologies for sending the wild bird instead of mine; Charmaine is recovering after an unexpected mishap with Draco-he has unfortunately been practicing some of his charms and guessing from my bird’s missing wings, he’s still got a long way to go. <br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>How are you, my old friend? I haven’t seen you for almost a year now, and I know Narcissa misses you too. You must come around one of these days, I am sure we have a lot to talk about especially about you-know-what. I’m afraid to enclose anymore information as I don’t want this letter falling into the wrong hands. </em>
</p><p>
  <em>You’ve always been very clever at deciphering messages so I’m sure my hints will not be looked past so easily. Something is brewing and quickly too, you must have noticed. My wife and son will be attending the Quidditch Cup next week and we’d be more than pleased to have you join us. We’ll be at the Top Box (with the Minister for Magic) and should you accept, I will be enclosing a ticket for you as well. Do come, Severus, I believe it will be a reunion of sort for us old pals. Do not send a reply. I will know your answer when I see you again.<br/></em>
</p><p>
  <em>Your friend,</em>
</p><p>
  <em>Lucius Malfoy. </em>
  <br/>
  <br/>
</p><p>Severus had to read the letter several times to make sure he had digested its contents properly. Then, he pointed his wand at it and watched as the letter began to disintegrate until only a pile of ash was left. Severus licked his lips, they had turned dry from reading and re-reading Lucius' words. You-know-what, he had called it. He knew Lucius must have been talking about the Dark Mark, it had started to itch for quite some time now. He’d said something about deciphering a message too-it was followed by an invitation to attend the quidditch final. A reunion...old pals...did Lucius mean to tell him that the Death Eaters were planning to meet up at the match? He knew the Quidditch World Cup was a large event and would have tight security...surely the Death Eaters wouldn’t try something when the Minister and his armed forced would be there?</p><p>But then again, this would be the perfect time would it not, for the Death Eaters to show that they were still loyal to the Dark Lord’s cause? The Mark starting to itch was not for no reason- it could only mean that the Dark Lord was gaining his strength once more. Dumbledore had told him this would happen years ago, and Severus would’ve been foolish to think otherwise. If the Dark Mark was a sign that Lord Voldemort was returning to power, then there would be plenty reasons for his old followers to be afraid. None of them had done anything when their master fell, and a lot of them had foregone their loyalties the second they realized the Dark Lord had been vanquished by a child. There was no doubt that should the Dark lord return to power, he would question each and every one of them on their whereabouts after his downfall.</p><p>He had to tell Albus Dumbledore, that was the first thing he had to do. Dumbledore would know what to do. Standing up from the worn armchair, Severus looked around at his living room, it was obvious from the awkward positioning of the furniture and the dust and cobwebs hanging all around the room that the house had been neglected for some time now. He hadn't been here that long anyway, he only ever came here during the holidays and even then he'd only sit in the same chair and sleep in his old bedroom. The house wasn't homely, and rightly so, because it gave him nothing but bad memories. He didn't know why he kept coming back, but part of him suspected that it was because he was trying to hold on to his unresolved issues with the old occupants of the house itself.</p><p>"Until the next time, then," he whispered sarcastically, looking around at the house. It seemed the summer holidays were at an end, and it was time to return to Hogwarts once more.</p><p>With one final glance at the room around him, Severus Snape disappeared with a loud <em>crack</em> and the old, corner house on Spinner’s End was dark and empty once more. </p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“Oh, Severus, you’re back early!”</p><p>Severus stepped aside as Minerva descended the stairs to meet him below. She took in his figure, obviously discerning whether his health had improved over the summer. Severus clenched his jaw inwards, it irked him endlessly when people swooped around on him regarding his health. It was always the same question: <em>have you eaten</em> or why do <em>you look so pale</em> or <em>when was the last time you slept</em>. He <em>hated</em> being smothered, and by his own colleagues too at that. Severus felt he wasn't taken as seriously as the other professors because he was considered much younger than the rest of them-some of them would occasionally bring up his Sorting to remind him of their seniority. </p><p>”You’re looking well as always,” Minerva said with a disapproving shake of her head, “have you eaten anything yet?”</p><p>”I’ve only just arrived, Minerva, I’m on my way to see Professor Dumbledore now,” Severus muttered, growing uncomfortable under her gaze.</p><p>”Ill get one of the elves to drop some food off from the kitchen to your office,” she said sternly. Severus couldn’t have argued with her even if he had wanted to. Her tone had been firm and had marked the end of the conversation. She turned without another word and walked off in the direction of the kitchen. Rolling his eyes, he began the ascend to Dumbledore’s office, all the while cursing the fact that he was constantly being treated as a child by the rest of the staff.</p><p>By the time Severus reached the stone gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore’s office, he was in a darkened mood.“Chocolate frogs,” he mumbled and with a jerk of its head, the gargoyle leaped aside to let him through. When he opened the door, the first thing Severus saw was a large pensieve by the corner of Dumbledore’s office. Glancing around, he saw the office was deserted save for Fawkes who was perched in his usual spot by Dumbledore’s desk. As if being pulled by a magnetic force, Severus felt his feet gravitating automatically towards the pensieve. He reached the pensieve and was immediately entranced by it, its surface glimmering softly and beneath it was a strange, golden light.</p><p>Severus had read about pensieves before but he’d never had the pleasure of seeing one at such proximity before. The ripples on the surface soothed him and he could feel a distant voice imploring him to explore its contents. He felt himself leaning closer to it, he was going to stick his head in-he couldn't control himself, and then-</p><p>”Ah, Severus, how wonderful to see you again!”</p><p>Dumbledore’s voice brought Severus back to reality again. He felt as though someone had splashed cold water over his head. He turned to greet the headmaster with a low bow, an apologetic look evident in his expression.</p><p>”I apologize, headmaster, I didn’t intend to-“</p><p>”-it quite alright, Severus. I’ve had plenty guests over during the summer and they, much like yourself, have expressed their utmost curiosity over my pensieve. Why, when I found Cornelius, he had already fallen into a couple childhood memories of mine—which were quite embarrassing frankly. My fault of course, to leave it lying around, but I daresay it makes an excellent conversation starter,” Dumbledore waved him off.</p><p>He glided towards Severus in one smooth motion and offered him a sweet which Severus declined. Dumbledore then gave him a small pat on the back and guided him towards the seat opposite the headmaster’s chair before taking his own. Severus opened his mouth to speak but Dumbledore held up a hand to stop him. Severus watched as the other man carefully unwrapped the sweet he’d offered Severus earlier and popped it into his mouth. He closed his eyes, as though overwhelmed with the taste of the sweet. Severus’ expressions remained passive but his impatience betrayed him when he stole an upward glance at the antique clock behind Dumbledore.</p><p>”Ah, forgive me, Severus. But I do find it best to indulge myself to a sweet or two before I receive some bad news, which I fear you have given how early you have returned to Hogwarts this year. The sweet helps to lessens the bitter aftertaste of the news, you see,” Dumbledore explained and Severus nodded curtly, withholding the urge to roll his eyes.</p><p>”What do you have for me then, Severus?”</p><p>”I received a letter today. From <em>Lucius</em> <em>Malfoy</em>,” he said expecting Dumbledore to react strongly. The other man however only nodded and urged him to continue.</p><p>”He wants me to attend the Quidditch World Cup final. He's sent me a ticket. He said something along the lines of reunion between old friends...”</p><p>”Ah, how kind of him. I have a strong feeling that the Irish will be taking the cup home this time, but I’ve also heard that the Bulgarians have added several vicious, new players into the game this year. A mixed bag, I believe, is what Ludo claimed the match was going to be.”</p><p>Severus scowled. Dumbledore was an extremely intelligent man but Severus could not help but feel it was downplayed for his own amusement. Here he was trying to convey a message about a possible Death Eater attack and rather than tackle it straight away, Dumbledore was trying to make small talk. There were times when Severus wondered if perhaps the older man had begun to lose his mind, he was certainly at the right age for it too.</p><p>”I’m not going,” Severus said bluntly.</p><p>”A shame...I’m sure Mr. Malfoy would’ve spent a small fortune for your seat, Severus. I doubt he's one to watch the game from the stands like everyone else,” Dumbledore teased. Severus stared at him. <em>Definitely</em> lost his mind, then.</p><p>”The Death Eaters are going to attack,” Severus tried again, the frustration clear in his voice. He wanted Dumbledore to tell him what to do, to give him an order, but it seemed this particular news seemed neither to alert nor worry him.</p><p>“And you’re sure you’re not interested in joining them?”</p><p>He knew Dumbledore trusted him but the question still stung. There was a bitter taste in his mouth now, as he bit back a particular venomous reply. He hated when the headmaster tried to play his mind games with Severus, hated when he was reminded of his old life as Lord Voldemort's servant. But it was pointless for him to pretend that he was anything else. He was a spy, or a Death Eater, or a teacher; he was whatever Dumbledore asked him to be. Severus looked up, his face scrunched up in misery (or was it anger) and saw Dumbledore's arm reaching out. He was holding out another sweet.</p><p>”I'm sure,” he answered, taking the sweet.</p><p>Dumbledore gave him a sad smile and Severus relaxed a little. There was a short pause as Severus sucked on the candy, it’s sweetness dissipating some of his bad thoughts. The sweets were laced with a tinge of Calming Essence, he realized with a slight scoff.</p><p>”So, what are you planning to do?” Severus asked after some time. Dumbledore leaned in towards him, his skin crinkling from his smile.</p><p>”What do <em>you</em>intend to do?”</p><p>”Whatever you ask of me,” came the reply.</p><p>”I am touched, Severus, by your response and it gives me no pleasure to tell you that for now, the best plan we have requires you to join in on the attack your old acquaintances have planned."</p><p>Severus froze. </p><p>”Is there no other way?” he asked in a soft whisper, his throat turning dry. He had known he would've been asked of this eventually, but he hadn't expected it to be so...soon. </p><p>”I wouldn’t ask if there was, Severus. It is important that you show your allegiance to the Death Eaters while there is still time. Once Voldemort returns, he is not the only one who will need to be convinced of your loyalty. Prove to them that you are very much a Death Eater as they are, play your role as convincingly as you can. You needn’t attend the match if you do not want to, but you should be there once they start the attack. It is absolutely crucial you be there. This is what I must ask of you. ”</p><p>”You seem sure they will not attack during the World Cup,” Severus pointed out.</p><p>”They cannot afford to attack during the game. It's too much of a risk, especially for Lucius Malfoy. He’d be accompanying the Minister and to see him vanish and then face an attack from Death Eaters during the game would only draw suspicion onto him. Yes, yes, they will wait until after the match was over, when it would be too dark to see anything," Dumbledore replied, nodding solemnly.</p><p>That made sense but...</p><p>”But why must I be there? If it's gaining the Death Eaters' trust I could ask Lucius to speak to them, he's quite persuasive when he wants to be," Severus implored but he knew Dumbledore's mind had been made up already.</p><p>”That is not the only reason for you to be there, Severus. I fear that the Death Eaters may cause more harm than intended to the crowd, especially after an event like the World Cup. I need you there to make sure no one is killed-“</p><p>”-but the Aurors can do that! You can warn them-tell Fudge, he’ll double security if he knows that the Death Eaters have an attack planned!” Severus snapped angrily.</p><p>”It is important, Severus, that we do not draw conclusions so easily and jump ahead without thinking everything through. For all we know, Lucius telling you about the Death Eaters’ reunion may very well be a hoax...he could’ve sent you that letter to see if you tipped off the Ministry. Now imagine if we were to alert Cornelius on this matter and the Death Eaters simply do not turn up! All that energy and time wasted in preparing for an attack that never comes...no, we need to ensure we remain in the Ministry’s good books because when the time comes that Voldemort returns once more, we cannot have the Minister dismissing us for <em>unreliable</em> information.”</p><p>Severus looked away. Dumbledore was right, they couldn’t drag the Ministry into this-not yet.</p><p>”I would feel safer if I knew you were there, Severus. I know you will do all in your power to make sure no innocent lives are lost in the Death Eaters’ little demonstration.”</p><p>Severus nodded, swallowing. This was what he had signed up for. Anything, he'd told Dumbledore. He would give Dumbledore anything he asked-he had given his word, and he would keep it.</p><p>”But why so hesitant, Severus? Are you afraid joining them might tempt you back into your old ways?"</p><p>Severus flushed, he could feel his cheeks burning now under the watchful eyes of Albus Dumbledore. There it was again, he thought, the doubt in Dumbledore’s voice. He clenched his fists tightly as he spoke.</p><p>”It’s difficult...I was...I don’t want to relive that part of my life anymore. I don't-want to be <em>that</em> person again,” he said, ashamedly.</p><p>”Oh but Severus, it is <em>essential</em> that you relive it! You must remember who you once were, so that you realize everyday just how much you have grown! I know you don’t see it yet, Severus, but believe me when I say that the Severus Snape I know now is ten times the man that I met on the hilltop all those years ago,” Dumbledore pressed, reaching out to grasp Severus’ hand in his own.</p><p>At the touch, Severus recoiled but nodded swiftly.</p><p>”The beginning of the end is approaching, Severus. You must brace yourself, Voldemort is regaining his strength. And when the time comes, you will be required to do much worse. I only hope that you will be prepared."</p><p>The silence overwhelmed Severus, and deep down, he knew Dumbledore was right. Gone were the years where he could play a schoolteacher, it was time to assume his old role as a spy once more. The next war was in the works and if he played his cards right this time, it would help to ensure in the defeat of the Dark Lord for good. He would die trying; he had to see through to it that Harry Potter survived until the very end, and Lily Potter’s killer was destroyed once and for all. It was the least he could do.</p><p>”I will of course be informing a few of my contacts in the Aurors' department, I'll make sure they know you'd be out there on my orders...can't have them arresting you by accident-“</p><p>Just then, there was a large screeching sound and as the two men looked up, Severus thought he saw a flash of brown as it slammed against a glass window. It was an ugly old barn owl, which was now tapping the glass and demanding to be let in. Severus strode towards it, opened the window and scooped the bird in his arms. It perched on his sleeve and gave him a playful peck as he made to remove the note attached around its leg.</p><p>The owl gave a loud screech once which was answered by Fawkes’ own soft musical cry. The owl tilted its head and was out the window once more, merely a small speck in the sky. He turned to Dumbledore and handed him the note. He watched as Dumbledore read it, noticing how the headmaster’s face seemed to darken as he reached the end of it. Dumbledore folded the note and put it into one of the many drawers that stuck out from under his desk. He glanced at Severus grimly.</p><p>”It appears I was right in asking you to be there during the attack,” he said gravely, “the letter was from Arthur Weasley."</p><p>Dumbledore paused.</p><p>"It appears that Harry Potter will also be attending the Quidditch World Cup finals.”</p><p> </p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>I really liked writing scenes between Snape and McGonnagall, I feel like their relationship wasn't shown much in the books which is a real pity seeing as they've both got some spice in their characters. I'll definitely be putting them in more scenes together (longer ones too) in the upcoming chapters. I really hope you enjoy the story!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Chapter 3</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The weather was so cold that Severus felt he'd freeze to death before the Death Eaters even started the attack. He tightened the thin fabric around him, cursing himself for not putting on a heavier traveling cloak. He could always cast a warming spell but he didn't want to give his position away. Severus moved his stiff body a little so that he could have a proper view of the campsite from under the tree he was perched under. He was cleverly hidden under a  Disillusionment Charm and had been there for a while now, waiting for an attack that seemed unlikely to take place anytime soon. He risked another small stretch and frowned at the horrible singing coming from the tents by the site. It seemed the Irish were still very much in a celebratory mood as they’d been since winning the Cup <em>two hours ago</em>.</p><p>He looked at the tents distastefully as the singing grew louder and showed no signs of stopping. It was a wonder the Muggles from across the campsite hadn't heard the racket these fools were making. Scowling, he stared up at the sky through the gaps in the tree branches. It was nearing midnight. He’d wait until two in the morning at the latest, and if the Death Eaters hadn’t shown up he would take his leave. He felt his gaze shift from the sky to a tent just a few meters away from where he sat. His main task tonight was to make sure no one was killed-especially Potter.</p><p>Severus had seen Potter and the rest of the Weasleys earlier as they returned from the match in extremely high spirits. They had been singing and laughing without a care in the world, oblivious to the danger they would be in. <em>How nice it must feel to be so safe and protected without knowing the harsh and cruel reality of the world</em>, he thought bitterly. Famous Potter needn’t ever worry about his life, not when he had so many people watching his back for him. And yet, all this did was make the boy more arrogant, knowing he could do anything he wanted and Dumbledore would let him get away with it.</p><p>Severus was still very much angry about the previous year's fiasco and he intended, as usual, to direct all of his negative feelings into hating Potter. It was, after all, that stupid boy’s fault that Black had managed to escape and was currently at large. He had come so close to capturing the felon, so close to watching the Dementor’s take his soul away. He would have had the satisfaction of watching the traitor have the life sucked out of him had it not been for Potter and his meddlesome friends. He’d have thought the boy would have shared some of his anger and hatred towards Black- Black was the reason that his mother and father were dead. But instead the naive boy had let Black and Lupin brainwash him with some nonsense about how Peter Pettigrew was behind the Potters' murders. Ridiculous though it was, Severus could not shake off the feeling that perhaps it hadn't all been a lie. But it would've been impossible for Pettigrew to give up the Potters' location, Black had been their Secret Keeper, hadn't he?</p><p>As Severus mulled over possible theories about Black and Pettigrew, he thought he heard a faint scream in the air. He got to his feet quickly, and stuck his ear out in the cold air as if it would help him to hear better. He paused, listening...there it was again. It sounded as though the screams were coming from a clearing not far from the campsite. It wouldn't do any harm to investigate, he thought as he made his way towards the direction of the screams. As he neared the field by the clearing, he could make out a giant bird floating in the air. He realized with horror as he came closer that it was not a bird but a man thrashing wildly as if he was being held up mid-air against his will. He knew the spell that was being used on the man, knew it very well because it was he who had invented it. Judging from the man's clothing, Severus could tell he was a Muggle. There was a horrible laughter ringing in the air.</p><p>”Dance for us, you filthy <em>Muggle!</em> Crucio!” a Death Eater shouted and Severus watched the man in the air scream again. Another Death Eater laughed at the sight of the Muggle who was obviously in terrible pain. Crouching so as to avoid having his spell seen by the Death Eaters, Severus pulled out his wand and aimed it at the Muggle. A yellowish-white jet of light flew from his wand and hit the Muggle, whose eyes widened and then he was dangling limply in the air. Severus watched as the two Death Eaters looked on in confusion at their lifeless victim. The wand holding the Muggle up flicked downwards and he fell to the ground, unconscious. They walked towards the fallen man and one of them kicked him to see if he was dead. </p><p>”Oi, think you’ve broke him,” sneered one of them to his friend.</p><p>”He dead?”</p><p>”Naw, think he passed out. Should we wake him, Goyle?”</p><p>”I’m tired of this one, let’s find another one,” said Goyle.</p><p>"Having fun already boys?" another voice called out.</p><p>Severus saw two other men join Goyle and the other masked Death Eater. It was evident from the way they spoke and <em>smelled</em> that they were intoxicated, and heavily at that. As he watched, more and more men in masks began to apparate into view. Several of them were now distracted by the unconscious Muggle on the floor, they took turns prodding and kicking him. And then, Lucius arrived. Severus could tell it was him even if he'd been wearing his mask; Lucius Malfoy reeked of power and wealth, and he carried it in the way he walked and spoke. He was much, much higher in the food chain compared to the rest of the Death Eaters.</p><p>”Who’s here?” he heard Lucius ask.</p><p>One by one, the Death Eaters named themselves from under their masks. Rowle<em>. Gibbons. Goyle. Mulciber. Avery. Crabbe. Silverfoot. Junge. Macnair. Nott. </em>And many more, some he hadn't even heard of before. They must have been new recruits, or those the Dark Lord had kept hidden during meetings.</p><p>”Who’s not here?” Mulciber asked.</p><p>”Karkaroff. And Snape,” someone else said. There was a distant murmur among the Death Eaters now.</p><p>”Karkaroff won’t come! Not after he put half of us in Azkaban! I'll kill him with my bare hands if I see him again," Rowle said, kicking the ground and staggering back.</p><p>”Is that dog of yours coming tonight, Lucius?” Silverfoot asked, his dislike of Severus obvious for everyone to hear.</p><p>”Ha! He’s probably hiding behind Dumbledore’s old pair of knickers!” Avery joked and everyone but Lucius snickered.</p><p>”Severus would be here if he could, something must be holding him up,” Lucius said defensively.</p><p>”Just admit that that tight leash you had around Snape all this while’s finally been chewed off, Lucius! He answers to a different master now,” Junge mocked.</p><p>”I assure you that my allegiance still lies with the Dark lord,” Severus spoke, appearing from nowhere. He struck an intimidating figure among the rest of them in the dim moonlight; his dark robes a stark contrast against his pale skin. The Death Eaters stared at him in complete shock and silence, and it was obvious from their expressions that they hadn’t expected to see him at all.</p><p>”But of course it would be hard to believe me, especially as I’ve been <em>hiding behind Dumbledore’s old knickers</em> for all this time,” he added, throwing a smug smirk in Avery’s direction. Avery looked away, and Severus' triumphant smirk only grew wider.</p><p>"You've got quite the nerve, Snape-coming here after all these years and telling us you've been loyal to the Dark Lord and we're just s'posed to what? Believe you?" Goyle said accusingly.</p><p>"He's right! You turned and ran to Dumbledore the minute you heard about what happened to the Dark Lord," Silverfoot said stepping towards Severus. The other man was taller than Severus, but he lacked the sense of authority and power that Severus himself possessed.</p><p>"That's quite enough-" Lucius started but Severus held up a hand to stop him. Looking up at Silverfoot, Severus sneered.</p><p>”You seem quite convinced that you've been far loyal to the Dark Lord than the rest of us, Silverfoot. By all means do tell us how <em>you've</em> maintained your loyalty to the Dark Lord all these years,” he said softly.</p><p>Silverfoot looked taken aback by this.</p><p>”What the hell do you mean by that?”</p><p>”What have you done for Lord Voldemort for all these years? Now correct me if I’m wrong but wasn't it you, Silverfoot, who cried and pleaded to the Wizengamot not to imprison you when you were caught after our Dark Lord fell? Wasn't it you who told them that you'd been-what was it, ah, hoodwinked by the Dark Lord himself? Was it not you who went to see Dumbledore and begged him to vouch for you as he did me, and tell him you would serve him in exchange for his protection?"</p><p>Silverfoot had paled and several other Death Eaters were murmuring loudly behind him. Lucius flashed Severus a look but he couldn't stop now, he had to make Silverfoot squirm just a little more.</p><p>”Did you think I wouldn’t find out? After you kneeled and begged Dumbledore for help shamelessly, he came to me and told me how <em>pathetic</em> you were-“</p><p>”-shut the hell up!” Silverfoot growled.</p><p>”And then when he rejected you, you went into hiding just like any other <em>coward</em>. I, on the other hand, maintained the task the Dark Lord had set me with; to stay at Hogwarts and spy on Albus Dumbledore. All these years I have been biding my time, doing just as the Dark Lord had instructed me to while you were off cowering in some hole like the spineless g-"</p><p>”Severus. Enough,” Lucius said finally, stepping between Silverfoot and Severus. Silverfoot looked like he had swallowed his tongue, his face was turning purple from rage.</p><p>”I’m just pointing out to everyone here that no one did anything when that Potter boy defeated our Dark Lord. And the ones who did are in Azkaban, so there is really no need to act all high and mighty now, is there?"</p><p>They were quiet now. Lucius took advantage of the silence.</p><p>"My friends, there is absolute truth in Severus' words tonight-we cannot deny it! When we heard that Lord Voldemort had been vanquished, and by an infant, we were so quick to sell our loyalty to save our own skins. But the time has come now for us to make up for our betrayal to him. I know you can feel our Master's power returning, you can feel it on the Mark he has imprinted on us! This is proof that he prevails, and as he does so must we. The Dark Lord's servants have been in hiding long enough, it is time for us to strike back. Our people have forgotten what it is like to live in fear, everywhere we see Mudbloods and blood-traitors trying to become one of us as if they ever could! We must show them what fate awaits them! They must learn to be afraid again, they must remember the power and strength of the Death Eaters once more."</p><p>"Death to the Mudbloods! Death to the blood-traitors!" one man yelled and soon, it became a chant. As their chants grew louder, the clouds in the sky began to roll in unison. Severus felt a chill run down his spine in that instant, but it wasn't Lucius' speech or the Death Eaters' unified yells that frightened him so. No, he had an eerie feeling that something awful was about to happen; there was a strangeness in the air-no, an evil-that he had only felt in the presence of the Dark Lord. Something far more sinister was at work here, he thought.</p><p>”Harry Potter is here tonight.”</p><p>Severus snapped his head in Lucius’ direction.</p><p>”He is here with the Weasley blood-traitors and their Mudblood friend. What say you, men, should we avenge our Master once and for all?” Lucius asked, raising his voice.</p><p>Severus felt his heart hammering in his chest. How could he keep an eye on everyone and Potter at the same time? He had no other option, he had to hope that Arthur Weasley would do his best to keep Potter and his family safe.</p><p>”Death to Potter,” Severus heard his own voice echo around the field. The others chorused his response in unison.</p><p>He had won over the Death Eaters’ trust. Now came the difficult part; he had to maintain his status as a Death Eater and try to keep everyone at the campsite from harm’s way. He only hoped that there would be no casualties, he’d promised Dumbledore there wouldn’t be any.</p><p>As expected, the Death Eaters attacked the Muggles outside the protection of the tents first. Severus watched as sleeping Muggles were dragged out of their houses and hoisted by their feet into the air. It disgusted him to see his own spells being used like this. The Muggles, now that they were fully awake, began to scream and beg to be let down as the Death Eaters laughed and taunted them cruelly.</p><p>They carried the Muggles through the campsite now that the Death Eaters had broken past the simple protection spell that surrounded it. The Muggles’ screams were beginning to stir the wizards and witches in the tents now. Severus saw several of them stick their heads out, see the floating Muggles in the air and then disappear once more into their tents. A moment later, they scrambled out, holding their children’s hands or their belongings.</p><p>As more people realized what was happening, the entire thing only became more chaotic. The Death Eaters had started to attack some of the witches and wizards as well but it was getting difficult to see. People were pushing past him, not bothering to see whether he was on their side or not. He saw a young woman screaming for help and he pushed through towards her. </p><p>”They’ve got him! I can’t bring him down!” She was shouting and pointing at the sky. A little boy was wailing to be let down. He pushed her back and aimed his wand at the child who was screaming-it was deafening.</p><p>”Liberacorpus!” he yelled and the spell hit the boy and he was falling.</p><p>”Move!” he shouted to the people running towards him as he made for the boy, hoping against hope that he would catch him on time. He was out of breath, and felt his knees hit the floor as he skidded to a halt and felt  a  weight catch his shoulder. With a grunt, Severus staggered back to his feet, the weeping boy safe in his arms. Wincing at the pain on his shoulder, he carried the boy back to the woman he presumed was his mother. He thrust the boy in her direction and she caught him, kneeling down to face him.</p><p>”You’re alright?” she asked her son. The boy, wiping his face, nodded. The woman looked at Severus, biting her lip with worry.</p><p>”T-Thank you,” she said, glancing at the figures running past.</p><p>”Take your son and head to the woods, you’ll be safe there,” he ordered as he pointed to where a majority of the crowd were running towards.</p><p>”He-he’s not-“</p><p>”Now! Hurry!” he yelled. Severus watched as the woman and the boy picked up their pace and vanished behind a clump of trees. Severus turned back, the Death Eaters’ had found that the Muggles were entertaining enough. They were distracted, watching the Muggle family crying and begging to be let down. Severus pointed his wand at them, and three flashes erupted from the end of it. The spell hit the Muggles who were still struggling in the air, but their screams of pain seemed to have stopped. This would buy them enough time until the Aurors arrived, he thought. Now, he had to make sure Potter was safe.</p><p>He spotted the tent Potter and the Weasleys had entered and ran towards it. He found Crabbe at the mouth of the tent, trying to get it to open. Crabbe was too occupied with the task at hand that he hadn’t seen Severus, and it was with that knowledge that he Stunned the stupid Death Eater easily. Crabbe fell where he stood, his eyes open wide. With two flicks of his wand, the tent rolled open and Severus stepped inside, fully prepared and on the defense. But it was empty. Arthur must have led them to into the woods. Severus sighed in relief.</p><p>”Hands up! Wand on the ground or I’ll fire!”</p><p>Severus spun to see a tall man standing behind him. Severus immediately lowered his wand but did not raise his arms. Instead, he cast the man a dark look.</p><p>”I said, arms up!”</p><p>”My name is Severus Snape,” he said, “and I am here on behalf of Albus Dumbledore.”</p><p>The man gawked momentarily at him at the mention of Dumbledore’s name.</p><p>”D-Dumbledore sent you?”</p><p>Severus nodded once.</p><p>”What the hell is going on? Someone said there’s been an attack-“</p><p>”Death Eaters. They’re torturing a few Muggles over there,” he said, indicating their direction with a tilt of his head.</p><p>”Why did Dumbledore send you here for? Did he know about the attack?”</p><p>”Didn’t you hear me? I said Death Eaters are over there torturing Muggles! Aren’t you an Auror? You need to help them,” he said quietly.</p><p>”You didn’t answer <em>my</em> question,” the Auror continued, stepping closer.</p><p>Severus recognized the man now, he had been in the Daily Prophet before. Diggory was his name. Amos Diggory.</p><p>”Dumbledore instructed me to keep an eye on Harry Potter. This is his tent, but it’s been emptied-“</p><p>”-Harry Potter? You don’t think-the Death Eaters planned this entire thing to get to Potter?”</p><p>”As I said, you need to ask Dumbledore. But first you need to do something about the Death Eaters-</p><p>”What’d you say your name was ag-“</p><p>Before the man could finish, there was a roll of thunder and the sky flashed-Severus and the Auror stepped outside.</p><p>”Merlin’s beard,” Diggory exclaimed.</p><p>Severus was frozen, his eyes locked on the image imprinted on the sky. The green light glowed around the skull and the snake seemed to be moving ever so slightly against the dark backdrop of the sky.</p><p>”It’s him. It’s <em>his </em>Mark.”</p><p>This was what Severus had been fearing, he realized. No Death Eater had cast that, not one that he had met earlier tonight anyway. This was the work of someone else. Dumbledore had to be warned.</p><p>“It came from the forest! My son’s there-you wait here-“ Diggory turned to speak to Severus but the other man was already long gone.</p>
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<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Chapter 4</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Severus Snape was definitely not a Seer, nor did he possess the Sight (or whatever it was the old fraud called it these days) and yet he knew that his thirteenth year at Hogwarts was going to be the worst one yet. The term hadn't even begun and he had already been apart of a Death Eater attack, and now he had just been told by Dumbledore that his application for the Defense position had been rejected once again. It wasn't even that news that had sent him reeling into despair, no that hardly came as a surprise (he'd been rejected almost every year now) but it was more the fact that Dumbledore had decided that Alastor "Mad-Eye" Moody was a better alternative than Severus himself. Dumbledore had waited until the very last minute to tell him, and Severus suspected it was because it was too late to do anything about it now. The students would be arriving shortly, and Severus couldn't do anything but turn his nose up and throw a silent tantrum.</p><p>To make matters worse, the headmaster had arranged so that Severus would be sitting directly next to the madman. There was still time as Moody hadn't arrived yet (probably out in the grounds battling the Whomping Willow like the paranoid maniac that he was) so Severus quickly strode towards Filius and tried to ask him if they could switch placed. Unfortunately, Trelawney who had finally decided to come out from her tower had overheard Severus and had a strong objection against his request.</p><p>"Oh," she exclaimed as the two men turned to her in alarm, "I have been watching the planets as of lately and it has told me of this moment precisely!"</p><p>Severus rolled his eyes but Filius remained frozen, staring at the old bat who was now pointing to the two of them.</p><p>”A dark man will try to claim a place that isn’t his, and he will succeed! But, it will ultimately lead to a most painful and untimely death!" she continued in a raspy voice. Severus scowled when he heard Minerva snorting behind her goblet.</p><p>"That is quite unfortunate news, Severus, I'll be sorry to know you died because you did something as silly as switching seats," Minerva commented with an amused smile. Severus pretended as though he hadn't heard her and turned to Filius with a raised eyebrow. The small man squeaked and shook his head.</p><p>”I’m sorry, Severus! I'm not superstitious but Sybil has been right in the past...I'm not taking the risk,” Filius said and sat back down firmly on the pile of cushions under him. Severus huffed exasperatedly before throwing Trelawney a very dark look. If she wasn't careful, one of these days she was going to be hit by one of her crystal orbs and die an untimely death herself. Severus was still determined to change seats with someone. He glanced back at Trelawney who was peering at him behind her thick glasses.</p><p>"You're eating here today, are you? The planets tell you to come down?" he snapped. Trelawney shot him an offended look, obviously insulted at his lack of respect towards her.</p><p>"I came down to show respect to the headmaster but it seems clear to me now that I am unappreciated by everyone else as usual!" she cried out.</p><p>Severus looked towards Dumbledore to see if he'd heard the commotion but the older man's focus was on the ceiling of the Great Hall. He was too distracted to notice, and this was Severus' opportunity to strike. He could suffer the fraud's wrath, he rarely even spoke or interacted with her-the only time he saw her was during the staff meetings anyway. And with that, he shrugged at her with an unapologetic expression. Trelawney had had enough it seemed, for she stood up and swept out of the Great Hall mumbling about how her subject was never taken seriously by any of the other Professors. Severus wanted to tell her that it was <em>her</em> that the staff had a hard time believing but he decided to settle with the victory of having her seat in the end. But just as Severus pulled the chair aside, Pomona Sprout had come running towards him from the other side of the table.</p><p>"Filius, I was so hoping I could speak to you-oh thank you, Severus-I was wondering if we could..."</p><p>Severus watched in astonishment as Pomona pushed past him and sat in the very seat he had intended to sit in himself. He glanced around the room to see if anyone else had witnessed this injustice of having <em>his</em> seat stolen. Unfortunately, no one except for Minerva had seen what had happened but she was too busy hiding her giggles behind her goblet. Severus had had enough of this.</p><p>"Professor Sprout," he started, a vicious insult for her forming in the back of his mind for her.</p><p>”Is everything alright?” Dumbledore suddenly asked, looking at Severus in a way that made him swallow back the words that had formed at the tip of his tongue. </p><p>"I think Severus is having difficulty finding his seat, Albus," said Minerva, who had turned red from suppressing her laughter.</p><p>”Shouldn’t you be getting the First Years?” Severus snapped.</p><p>"Oh come now, Severus, it's the start of term and there's no point in being in a foul mood! Here," she said and inched her chair a little to the right. Severus flicked his wand at Pomona's abandoned chair at the end of the table and it appeared next to Minerva. He gave an abrupt nod to Minerva and sat down without another comment. Minerva chugged down the remaining drink in her goblet and left, presumably to greet the students who were probably waiting outside the hall.</p><p>Minutes later, all the students (except the First Years) poured into the Great Hall, looking around them in the same wonderment as they always had. As Severus felt his eyes stray over to the Gryffindor table, he saw that a lot of them were soaking wet and smiled smugly. Potter was looking straight at him, his feelings of dislike towards Severus reflected clearly on his face. Severus had warned Dumbledore against holding the Tournament, that it was bound to attract the wrong sort of trouble. He had told Dumbledore that Potter would no doubt try to join but he had been reassured that only students of age would be allowed to enter. That had lessened Severus' worries somewhat, but he had a feeling that Potter would once again disregard his own safety and do something stupid as usual. After all, it wasn't really a Hogwarts school year if Severus wasn't put in a situation where he had to save Potter and his friends while restraining from killing them himself.</p><p>He shifted his gaze to the Slytherin table next and settled on the figure of Draco Malfoy who was now laughing about something with his two goons, Crabbe and Goyle. Draco was fourteen but still had not shown any signs of maturity. Severus held back a sigh, it was bad enough that Lucius was involved in the Death Eater movement. He knew it would only be a matter of time before his own son would be dragged into this mess as soon as he became of age. Severus knew there was no avoiding it, both Draco's parents belonged to the Dark Lord because of their inability to set their prejudice and status aside and their son had the same beliefs as them. Severus had hoped that Draco's years at Hogwarts would eventually change his moral views but if anything, his racial views and beliefs only became more reinforced at Hogwarts. It was unavoidable, especially since Draco was in Slytherin and was friends with a majority of pure-bloods.</p><p>Severus had been the same, except he had been a half-blood and a social outcast with no friends but he what he did have was knowledge. Knowledge, which when pushed in the right direction, became power and soon before he realized, he knew more about the Dark Arts than anyone else his age. He was inventing and refining spells at the age of sixteen and when the other Slytherins realized his potential, they had befriended him, encouraged him and gave him exactly what he had been searching for; membership. They became a team and protected him when they could, and in exchange he fed them with Dark Spells and enchantments. By the time news of his skill in Dark Arts reached Lord Voldemort, Severus had become a very powerful wizard with even more powerful <em>friends</em>. It had been so easy to fall into the wrong crowd after that, the temptation of the Dark Arts alone was enough to have convinced Severus who had had nothing when he started out at Hogwarts. Nothing except for his friendship with Lily. And when the Dark Lord had asked to meet with him, Lily had long since moved on from Severus so what was the harm in going? Just like that, Severus went from having no one and nothing, to suddenly becoming feared and respected among the other Death Eaters. If a nobody like him could rise up to the ranks of Death Eaters, then it would be easier for someone as privileged as Draco. Add his parents' encouragement to the mix and the boy might as well already have the Dark Mark tattooed on his skin. </p><p>Severus sat through the sorting deep in thought. He was aware that the staff was busy in conversation while the new students were being sorted but he couldn't find it in him to care tonight. The Dark Lord was coming back, this much he knew, and Severus had to do his best to make sure that his students were protected. Those whose parents were already Death Eaters were a lost cause but he still had to try. He had to show the Slytherin students that they could be more than what others saw in them, that they weren't all evil, that not all of them were destined to become dark wizards.</p><p>Time seemed to pass rather quickly and before he knew it, Dumbledore was asking everyone to 'tuck in' as food appeared before all of them. Severus eyed Minerva warily as she scooped a particular large portion of mashed potato and put it onto Severus' empty plate. He blanched at the sight of it, he always had difficulty when it came to eating and it was the reason why he was so malnourished and unhealthy but he couldn't control it. Back when he'd been younger, his parents couldn't always afford to put food on the table; Severus' father was a full-time drunkard and spent half his days passed out in the living room, and his mother was never allowed to go out let alone work and as a result Severus often spent his days and nights starving. He had become used to it until of course he met Lily. Now, Severus never told Lily how he often times had to skip dinner but she figured it out from the state of him. And so every so often, she would sneak him leftovers or birthday cakes whenever she could. They would meet at the playground, and she would sit with him while he gobbled up the food and took the remaining back home for the next day. Severus had become accustomed to eating very small portions so when he came to Hogwarts he couldn't ever change his habit of taking a bite or two before giving up. He had carried this nasty little habit into adulthood unfortunately. He had once eaten a full course meal, for the sake of Poppy who refused to leave him alone until he ate, and had spent the entire night in the hospital wing throwing it all up.</p><p>"Go on, Severus, the potatoes are really soft," Minerva urged him. Severus forced a smile and took a mouthful. Satisfied at his reaction, Minerva began to eat herself. As deserts began to appear, Minerva reached for the chocolate pudding but Severus had seen this coming. He had quickly turned his attention to Professor Sinistra next to him and engaged her in conversation, ignoring Minerva completely. He did not turn away from Sinistra until Dumbledore had stood up and clapped once, making the tables empty once more. Severus sighed with relief and righted himself back, not quite daring to look at Minerva just yet. When he did turn to her, however, he found that her eyes were locked on the ceiling. He frowned. The ceiling had always been enchanted to look like the sky outside but tonight, the stars had been blurred out by a sea of dark clouds, rolling and thundering above them.</p><p>"Strange, isn't it?" she murmured and  Severus nodded. Perhaps the castle was reacting to something...or someone. Just as he thought it, there was a particularly loud thunder and the door to the Great Hall was flung open and Alastor Moody stood there, looking every bit as ominous as Severus remembered. Severus watched as Moody walked towards the staff table, lowering his hood to reveal a full view of his face. The lightning and thunder continued to boom throughout the hall, and every few seconds the light would catch Moody's scarred and twisted face. He reached Dumbledore and stretched out a hand which Dumbledore shook quickly.</p><p>"Difficult ride to the castle, my friend?" Dumbledore asked.</p><p>"Nothing I'm not used to," Moody replied and scanned the table for an empty seat. Severus watched from the corner of his eyes as Moody sat down and slowly stretched his wooden leg underneath the table. He pulled out a flask then, and drank from it rather than the pumpkin juice in front of him. The entire hall had been silent the moment Moody had walked in, and the only sound that could be heard was the storm above them.</p><p>Severus heard the headmaster introduce him as the new Defense teacher and was satisfied to see that only Hagrid and Dumbledore clapped, the sound echoing throughout the halls. Perhaps the students would learn to dislike Moody as much as Severus did after all. All the while Dumbledore informed the students about the Triwizard Tournament, Severus kept his focus on the madman sitting three seats away from him. Moody's fake eye was whizzing about all over the place, he noted, until it landed on one particular student. The eye was fixed on the student until Dumbledore had finished and had ordered the students to head to their dormitories. Even then, Severus watched as Moody's eyes followed the figure of one Harry Potter very sinisterly until the boy vanished from their view.</p><p><em>Interesting</em>, Severus thought. <em>How very interesting indeed</em>.</p>
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<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Chapter 5</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p><em>Pain</em>. <em>Immense and irritating pain. </em></p><p>It was all Severus felt as he sat, doubled over his desk so that his face and arm was pressed awkwardly against the cold surface of his desk. His Dark Mark had been hurting all week, it seemed that the pain had gone from a minor stinging sensation to varying degrees of burning. The pain he could handle, he'd handled it before but it was the fact that it would attack him without warning that took him off his guard. This time, it had happened right in the middle of Thursday Potions class with the third years. He had been inspecting Creevey's Draught of Peace when he felt the Mark flaring up and let out an awful hiss, scaring the boy who knocked into his friend's cauldron and the class had gone into utter chaos. He had dismissed them at once, grateful that it was only a single period and none of them had questioned it; they were as relieved as he was.</p><p>Severus lifted his left forearm from the cool, metal desk and inspected it. There was an ugly red weal there on his skin, and he could see his veins jutting out as the pain hit him again. He couldn't do anything about it, the Dark Lord had made sure of that. When a Death Eater was branded with his Mark, they were informed that it was more than just a tattoo on the arm. The Dark Mark was used to distinguish Lord Voldemort's true servants, and with it he could control his men. If he wanted, he could summon them. If he wanted, he could even punish them. And to make sure that the punishment stuck with them, a curse had been placed together with the mark which prevented any form of healing spell or potion to be used on it. Severus had to admit that it had been effective, as far as he knew no Death Eater repeated the same mistake twice. Though, as he looked back on it now, Lord Voldemort had never been one to be forgiving; if someone messed up more than once, the Dark Mark hurting would be the last thing on their minds.</p><p>There was a knock at the door, just as the Mark burned again.</p><p>"The next class isn't until later!" he yelled but to his dismay, the knock came again and this time followed by Moody's voice.</p><p>"It's me, Snape, I've got something you want! Open up," he called.</p><p>Severus stood up and wiped away the sweat across his forehead. He pulled down his shirt sleeve and then his robe, and made sure no part of his skin was visible. He didn't need a paranoid Auror circling him like a hawk, not when he was exposed and vulnerable like this. The pain made it hard to concentrate, and he didn't want to slip up in front Moody. Severus’ experience with him had been anything but pleasant. The last time they'd met was in a dark cell as Moody attempted to interrogate him for the Potters' murders as well as the attack on the Longbottoms'. Severus had been helpless then, but he was certainly not going to let his defenses fall again. He had been young and weak, now he was older and much cleverer.</p><p>As Severus opened the door, the first thing he saw was Moody's ugly, scarred face staring at him with an even uglier smile. Behind him stood Draco, pale and disheveled.</p><p>"Draco! Are you alright?" Severus asked, glancing at the nervous looking boy. He was twitching unnaturally, but otherwise Draco appeared to be fine.</p><p>"He's right as rain, Snape-caught him trying to jinx Potter when his back was turned. Thought Hogwarts was better than raising a slimy snake like him but when I found out who his Head of House was, well...I see the apple doesn't fall from the tree, does it?" Moody taunted. His magical eye began swirling crazily and Severus chose at that moment to look at Draco instead.</p><p>"Is this true? Draco?"</p><p>"Potter insulted my mother, Professor. He had it coming," Draco replied spitefully. At his response, Moody whirled around and Draco stepped back with a flinch.</p><p>"I think you've done enough. I will speak to him and carry out the appropriate punishments." Severus said coldly.</p><p>"Oh, there's really no need. Gave him a little taste of his own medicine, didn't I boy?" Moody laughed and Severus saw how Draco's face darkened. There was no doubt Lucius Malfoy would be hearing about this.</p><p>"You're excused, Draco. You will see me in the common room later," he ordered. Draco nodded fervently before taking off, leaving Severus alone with Moody who still hadn't stopped smiling.</p><p>"If there's nothing else..." Severus said, moving to close the door firmly on Moody but there was a loud <em>clunk</em> as Moody stuck his prosthetic leg out to stop him.</p><p>"Now why the rush, Snape? Not hiding something in there, are you?" he asked and pushed the door with force. Severus stepped back as Moody brushed past him, his eyes roving around the classroom until it stopped at a door at the end of the room.</p><p>"What's in there?" he inquired.</p><p>"It's my personal store. I keep all of my own potion ingredients in there."</p><p>Severus' answers were all short and cold.</p><p>Moody smiled again.</p><p>"Apologies, Snape, but it seem I'm going to have to do a thorough checking of your store. And your office and chambers," he added but nothing about the way he said it seemed to suggest he was sorry about it.</p><p>"May I ask what for?" Severus asked.</p><p>"I need to make sure you haven't got anything...<em>suspicious</em> in there. Can't have you hiding any of your precious little Dark toys in a place with young, innocent children about, can we?" Moody replied, his eyes trailing downwards to Severus' left arm. Severus instinctively grabbed his arm and looked into Moody's face, his cheeks flushing in anger.</p><p>"I'm not hiding anything!" he hissed angrily.</p><p>Moody laughed and it made the hair on Severus' arms stand. He watched as the other man pulled out his flask and took a big gulp of his drink before continuing.</p><p>"Then there's no harm in letting me search your store, is there? No? Now see, I think you're lying Snape. I think you've got old Albus fooled-"</p><p>"-he <em>trusts</em> me-"</p><p>"-he's been wrong before, hasn't he? He may stick his neck out for you but I know what you are, Snape. You're a Death Eater, have been and always will be. A scum doesn't cease to be scum just 'cause someone like Dumbledore says so."</p><p>Severus stood there in shock. He was at a loss for words, Moody had once again found a way to get into his head and unravel him with just mere words. It had been a while since anyone had pulled the old '<em>you're a Death Eater'</em> card trick on him, and it had hit him exactly where Moody knew it would; his pride. Humiliation and fury boiled within him, and he was determined not to let Moody have the last word.</p><p>"Dumbledore won't stand for this, you know. You wait until I tell him-"</p><p>"You go ahead and do just that, Snape, but he won't say nothing. He won't say a thing cause he's the one who put me on this in the first place, ha!"</p><p>A range of new emotions hit him next: hurt and betrayal. Dumbledore asked Moody to search his store?</p><p>"No," Severus said firmly, "no, he didn't. You're lying." As clear as he'd said it, he couldn't leave out the hurt in his voice and Moody had heard it. He smiled triumphantly.</p><p>"That right? Why don't you ask him then?"</p><p>Severus knew he couldn't. How could he? What if Moody was right...perhaps Dumbledore doubted him now that the Dark Lord was going to be resurrected. Did he think that Severus would abandon ship, that he would leave Dumbledore the minute Lord Voldemort returned? Was his love for Lily not enough after all for the great and mighty Albus Dumbledore? Severus knew then that he didn't want to know the answer, it would be too painful to bear if it was true that Dumbledore didn't trust him enough. He would just have to pretend that Moody was lying, that was the only way for Severus to get out of this situation without bruising his already battered ego. And so, Moody watched as Severus silently made to remove the wards around the store and let him in.</p><p>He stood there by the entrance, eyes cast to the ground and firm in his resolution that he wouldn't say anything as he heard Moody ransacking the store. There were the sounds of glasses and vials breaking but he bit his lip and clenched his jaw. He wouldn't give Moody the satisfaction of knowing he had won again. Several minutes later, Moody emerged from the room and said that he hadn't found anything. Then, he made Severus lead him to his office and private chambers where Severus once again stood in a corner and watched Moody turn the place inside out. By the time he had finished his so-called <em>search</em>, Severus' office and room looked like it had been hit by a vicious storm. All of his notes and researches and letters had been torn and strewn about without a single care. Moody finished with a loud grunt and without another word, he left.</p><p>Severus stood in the midst of his destroyed office, his face white and lips trembling at the unfairness of it all.</p><p>*</p><p>Severus' mood only worsened as the end of October approached. Neville Longbottom had, for what seemed like the hundredth time, melted his cauldron. Severus had knocked the boy away before the cauldron exploded, but the corrosive mixture the idiot boy made had unfortunately splashed all over Severus' own left arm which had already swelled to twice it’s normal size from the Dark Mark burning.</p><p>Feeling as though his entire arm was on fire, he had given Longbottom detention for three hours. The boy was forced to disembowel horned toads and Severus did not once feel bad for him. Served him right, Severus thought viciously as the boy held back tears when gutting the toads, all he had to do was read the instructions and follow it word for word-was that so difficult to do?</p><p>He sent Longbottom away before the three hours was up because his arm was killing him and he wanted to nurse it the best he could. Poppy could help him, but Severus shook his head at the thought of it. She could give him the Elixir of life and it still wouldn’t help him. The Dark Mark was a curse, and all he could do was endure it. Besides, he didn’t want Poppy to see his Mark again. Severus didn’t like to particularly remind his colleagues of his ugly past. It had taken years to earn their trust and a sense of belonging with them, he wouldn’t go throwing it all away because of this minor inconvenience. He could always ask Dumbledore but that bridge had temporarily been burnt off.</p><p>Severus had been actively avoiding Albus Dumbledore for the past months. He refused to be on good terms with him, not when the headmaster had practically issued him a kill order by sending Moody after him. It was one thing to not trust him, but to let Moody have his way with him was too cruel a punishment even for him.</p><p>Severus decided that he’d instead go check on his students in the common room. He had asked them to gather intel on Moody’s classes, he wanted to know what the maniac was teaching the students.</p><p>"Well? What do you have for me?" Severus asked the group of fourth year Slytherins that sat huddled by the fireplace in a heated discussion.</p><p>"Mad-Eye’s been going on about the Unforgivable curses, Professor," Parkinson said first.</p><p>"Yes, showed us the Cruciatus spell and all!" chimed another student.</p><p>"He makes us stand in a line and puts us under the Imperius curse and we have to try and resist it," Draco said.</p><p>Severus decided that it was time to break his two-month old silent feud with Dumbledore, this piece of news was worth it. He marched straight up to the headmaster’s office and saw that Minerva was standing in front of the gargoyle. Even better, he thought.</p><p>"Minerva!" he called. Minerva had heard him, he knew from the way her shoulders went rigid but she didn’t respond. Severus frowned. What the devil was her problem?</p><p>"Going up to see Dumbledore?" he asked politely and all he received in response was a cold and distant nod.</p><p>"Is something the matter?"</p><p>"Yes, Severus Snape, something <em>is</em> the matter! You've managed to take a hundred and fifty points from my house and put at least seventeen of my students in detention, and its only the second month in the semester! I'm going to have a word with Albus about how unacceptable your behavior is!"</p><p>Severus seethed.</p><p>"And did you ever wonder <em>why</em> I do it?""</p><p>"Oh, well, that’s easy enough to figure out isn’t it? It’s because you can't stand to see Gryffindor getting ahead of house points!"</p><p>"I could give a damn about house points, Minerva! Your students are by far some of the worst I've seen-producing sloppy work in class, not turning in their homework, jinxing students in the hallways and I'm supposed to what? Applaud them for their behaviour?"</p><p>"For Merlin's sake, Severus, half the time they get into trouble is because you provoke them into it in the first place! Longbottom," Minerva said, "what did Longbottom ever do to you, Severus? You've given him detention two weeks in a row!"</p><p>"I have to! He's-he's-he can't do anything right. He puts half the class in danger because he can't read instructions-"</p><p>"-he's only like that because you're constantly belittling him-"</p><p>"-you know full well that he's rubbish at Potions, Minerva!"</p><p>They paused, glaring at one another. Severus had plenty more he wished to say but he realized that at the moment, all the anger spewing out of him wasn't meant to be directed at Minerva. It was meant for Dumbledore and Moody.</p><p>"I...shouldn't have taken that many points. I didn't realize," Severus said softly, looking at her. Her expressions softened slightly at that but her brows were still furrowed in annoyance.</p><p>"You would be equally furious if I took that many from Slytherin, Severus. I couldn't care less about the points either, but my students do and I care about them."</p><p>He nodded.</p><p>"You do have a point about Longbottom, though. Hopeless at Transfiguration too," she added and he smirked. </p><p>"But he is trying, Severus. Do try and go easy on him...the boy's sick with worry as it is with his grandmother falling ill."</p><p>Once again, Severus nodded in understanding.</p><p>"I suppose there’s no need for me to see Albus after all..." she said finally.</p><p>"Oh believe me, you're going to want to be there when I tell Dumbledore," Severus said, his eyes glittering.</p><p>"Tell him what?"</p><p>*</p><p>"The Unforgivable Curses, Albus? What is he thinking?" Minerva asked.</p><p>Dumbledore had his back to them, busily watching the sky outside. Severus was leaned against a pillar, arms crossed as he watched Minerva chiding the headmaster, though a lot of good that did.</p><p>"He's also putting students under the Imperius Curse, making them do all sorts of things like a circus animal. He put Potter under it too," Severus added. Dumbledore's ears perked up at the mention of Potter and he finally turned to face them.</p><p>"Did he really? And what happened?" Dumbledore asked.</p><p>"He managed to fight it off. He was the only one in fact," Severus replied in a flat tone as though it was no great feat that Potter had accomplished. Dumbledore’s attention had once again vanished deep into his thoughts, the only way Severus knew he was still in the room was because he was stroking his Phoenix absent-mindedly.</p><p>"Aren't you going to stop him, Albus?" Minerva was growing frustrated. Severus on the other hand had grown used to being ignored by Dumbledore.</p><p>"Heaven's no, why would I do such a thing, Minerva?"</p><p>"Albus," Minerva was shocked, "he's using Dark Magic on the students! I looked past the ferret incident with Malfoy (Severus scoffed) but I draw the line at this-I refuse-"</p><p>"Voldemort will return, either by the end of this year or the start of the next. It is inevitable."</p><p>Dumbledore had said it like he was reporting for the weather or something. His words were calm but they left the other two professors dumbstruck as they stood there, processing it.</p><p>"And once he does, no one-not even the students will be free from him and his evil. Better we prepare them now for the dark forces working out there, it will be less of a shock if they are exposed to these Dark Art now than when they are in combat later. And no one but Moody can teach them what they need to know. I know it seems unorthodox, Minerva, but I implore you to see the bigger picture. Once Voldemort returns, our students will need to know how to fight. If they don’t, I fear a worse fate shall befall them.”</p><p>Severus hated to agree, especially because it meant Dumbledore was right, but he did. Minerva, however, was still visibly upset at having learned that her students were being exposed to the Dark Arts by an insane ex-Auror. She left, mumbling and muttering about how inappropriate Moody’s behavior was and as the door closed behind her, Severus realized that this was the first time in a while that he and Dumbledore were alone together.</p><p>"Are you quite finished being angry with me, Severus?" Dumbledore asked looking at Severus with his piercing blue eyes. Severus looked away with a scowl.</p><p>"Is the Mark still hurting you?" Dumbledore pressed again.</p><p>"It's fine," Severus whispered and swept out of the room.</p><p>Behind him, Dumbledore sighed deeply.</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p>
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